The epithelium lining the gastrointestinal tract (hereinafter, “GIT”) is a major barrier to absorption of orally administered pharmaceutically active agents (hereinafter, “active agents”). Absorption across the GIT epithelium can be by transcellular transport through the cells and by paracellular transport between the cells. Transcellular transport includes, but is not limited to, receptor-mediated, transporter-mediated, channel-mediated, pinocytotic and endocytotic mechanisms and to diffusion. Paracellular transport includes, but is not limited to, movement through tight junctions. Of particular interest is the development of non-invasive methods for enhancing uptake of active agents across the GIT epithelium into the body (Evers, P. Developments in Drug Delivery: Technology and Markets, Financial Times Management Report, 1995).
To develop non-invasive methods, phage display libraries have been used to identify specific peptide sequences, which bind preferentially to specific GIT membrane receptor, transporter, channel, pinocytotic or endocytotic target pathways (hereinafter, “targeting peptides”) within the GIT. Included among the target pathways, which have been screened with phage display libraries, are the GIT membrane transporters HPT1, hPEPT1, D2H and hSI. HPT1 and hPEPT1 transport dipeptides and tripeptides. D2H transports neutral and basic amino acids and is a transport activating protein for a range of amino acid translocases. hSI is involved in sugar metabolism and comprises 9% of the brush border protein in the jejunum. Specific peptide sequences, which interact with the HPT1, hPEPT1, D2H and hSI membrane transporters have been identified in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/079,819, 09/079,723 and 09/079,678 (hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties).
Non-target pathway based assays have been used to identify peptides with inherent cell membrane translocating properties. These cell membrane translocating peptides interact directly with and penetrate the lipids of cell membranes (Fong et al. Drug Development Research 33:64, 1994). The central hydrophobic h-region of the signal sequence of Kaposi's fibroblast growth factor, AAVLLPVLLAAP (SEQ ID NO: 1) is considered to be a membrane translocating peptide. This peptide (SEQ ID NO: 1) has been used as a carrier to deliver various short peptides (<25 mer), through the lipid bilayer, into living cells in order to study intracellular protein functions and intracellular processes (Lin et al. J. Biol. Chem. 271:5305, 1996; Liu et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:11819, 1996; Rojas et al. J. Biol. Chem. 271:27456, 1996; Rojas et al. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 234:675, 1997). A 41-kDa glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing SEQ ID NO: 1 (GST-Grbs-SH2 fused to SEQ ID NO: 1) has been shown to be imported into NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and to inhibit epidermal growth factor induced EGFR-Grb2 association and MAP kinase activation (Rojas et al. Nature Biotechnology 16:370, 1998). However, these studies do not address the use of membrane translocating peptides to enhance active agent uptake into a cell, into and out of an intracellular compartment, or across a cell layer when the active agent is complexed to a membrane translocating peptide or when the active agent is incorporated into a particle and the particle is modified with (hereinafter, “complexed to”) a membrane translocating peptide.
The ability to enhance movement of an active agent across a cell membrane is important because, although an active agent can be administered to an animal by a variety of routes including, but not limited to, oral, nasal, mucosal, topical transdermal, intravenous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, intrathecal and subcutaneous, oral administration is the preferred route. Nasal, mucosal, topical and transdermal administration depend on drug absorption through the mucosa or skin into the circulation. Intravenous administration can result in adverse effects from rapid accumulation of high concentrations of drug, in patient discomfort and in infection at the injection site. Intramuscular administration can cause pain at the injection site. Subcutaneous administration is not suitable for large volumes or for irritating substances. Although oral administration is the preferred route, many active agents are not absorbed efficiently across the GIT epithelium. This results from enzymatic degradation of active agents within the lumen of the GIT, from the limited permeability of the GIT epithelium to active agents, from the large molecular size of active agents and from the hydrophilic properties of active agents (Fix, J A. J. Pharmac. Sci. 85:1282, 1996). To develop an oral formulation, an active agent must be protected from enzymatic digestion within the lumen of the GIT, presented to the absorptive epithelial cells of the GIT in an effective concentration and “moved” across the epithelium in an apical to basolateral direction.
Therefore, because of the advantages of oral drug administration, there is a need for delivery systems, which protect orally ingested active agents from enzymatic degradation within the lumen of the GIT and which promote the absorption of orally ingested active agents into and across the epithelial cells lining the GIT.